The Business Leader Hall Of Fame

The Kania School’s Business Leader Hall of Fame honors several of its most successful alumni. Since its creation in 2015, nine individuals have been inducted.

The tribute includes a panel discussion in which the honorees offer advice to students on success both in life and business, followed by an unveiling of plaques on the second floor of Brennan Hall. The day is capped by a reception and dinner attending by the inductees' family, friends, students and members of the University's faculty, staff, Board of Trustees and President's Business Council.

John E. Brennan, '68plus or minus

John E. Brennan received a BS in Management from the University of Scranton in 1968. His son Ryan graduated from the University in 2006 with a BS in Management. Mr. Brennan has served on The University of Scranton’s Board of Trustees.

In October 2000, the University named Brennan Hall, the home of the Kania School of Management, in his honor.

He is a member of the University’s President’s Business Council (PBC) and the Kania School of Management Advisory Board. During his career, Mr. Brennan served as President and COO of SkyWay Systems, vice chairman of the Board of Directors of Southern Union Company, as president of Activated Communications and on the Board of Directors of Spectrum Signal Processing. A cofounder of Metro Mobile CTS, Inc., he served as the company’s president and COO.

A Vietnam Veteran, Mr. Brennan served as a first Lieutenant in the U.S. Army Signal Corps. He and his wife, Lucinda, and have two children.

Christopher M. “Kip” Condron, '70plus or minus

Christopher M. “Kip” Condron earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Scranton in 1970 and is the founding chair of the President’s Business Council (PBC). In 2003, he received an Honorary Degree from the University, and in 2005, he was awarded the President’s Medal.

Mr. Condron was a member of The University of Scranton’s Board of Trustees for four terms, serving as chair from 2009 to 2014. He and his wife, Margaret M. Condron, Ph.D., served as national co-chairs of the University’s $129 million Pride, Passion, Promise Campaign. The University dedicated Christopher and Margaret M. Condron Hall in their honor in 2008.

The former president and CEO of AXA Financial, Inc., Condron served as global head of life & savings and health businesses and a member of the Management Committee at AXA Group, AXA Financial’s parent company. Previously, the Scranton native was president and COO of Mellon Financial Corp. and chairman and CEO of The Dreyfus Corp. Mr. Condron. He and Margaret have three sons and 13 grandchildren.

Arthur J. Kania, Esq., '53plus or minus

Arthur J. Kania, Esq., a Moosic native, earned his bachelor’s degree from the University of Scranton in 1953 and subsequently received his J.D. from Villanova University School of Law. A 1989 Honorary Degree recipient, he is a member of the President’s Business Council and received the President’s Medal in 2005. Mr. Kania previously served on The University of Scranton’s Board of Trustees, which he also chaired.

In May 1998, the University renamed its business school The Arthur J. Kania School of Management.

A senior partner in the Bala Cynwyd-based law firm of Kania, Lindner, Lasak & Feeney, he devoted a major portion of his career to entrepreneurial corporate formation and development – including founding First Sterling Bank, which merged into Summit Bancorp, now a major component of Bank of America, and co-founding the Brighton Hotel, now the Sands Hotel & Casino in Atlantic City, New Jersey. He and his wife Angela have seven children and 15 grandchildren.

Paul Montrone, ’62plus or minus

Paul M. Montrone, Ph.D., received a BS in Accounting from the University of Scranton in 1962 and holds a Ph.D. in Finance, Economics and Operations Research from Columbia University. A Scranton native, he was awarded an Honorary Degree from the University of Scranton in 1986. Dr. Montrone received the President’s Medal in 2003 and is a member of the President’ Business Council.

He is chairman of Perspecta Trust LLC, Liberty Lane Partners and Latona Associates and former chairman and CEO of Fisher Scientific. During the Clinton administration, Dr. Montrone served as a member of the President’s Advisory Commission on Consumer Protection and Quality in the Health Care Industry, and he was a founder of the National Forum for Health Care Quality Measurement and Reporting. Former president and CEO of the Metropolitan Opera, he has been active with many non-profit institutions. Dr. Montrone served in the Pentagon as a Captain in the U.S. Army. Dr. Montrone and his wife Sandra have three children and 10 grandchildren.

Gerard R. Roche, '53plus or minus

Gerard R. Roche, earned a BS in Accounting from the University of Scranton in 1953 and an MBA from Columbia University in 1957. A 1982 Honorary Degree recipient, he received the inaugural President’s Business Council President’s Medal in 2002. A member of the President’s Business Council, he previously served on and chaired The University of Scranton’s Board of Trustees, and he was commencement speaker at the undergraduate commencement in 1982.

Senior chairman of the international search firm Heidrick and Struggles, Inc., Roche was named “Headhunter of the Century” by his peers in a poll conducted in 2000. In more than 35 years as an executive recruiter, Mr. Roche has worked with hundreds of corporations including AT&T, IBM, Home Depot, and 3M. He served as a Lieutenant in the U.S. Navy.

He and his wife Marie have three children and seven grandchildren. Their grandson Michael belongs to the class of 2017 at the University of Scranton.

Theodore "Ted" Jadick, '61plus or minus

Ted Jadick received a bachelor's degree in accounting from the University in 1961, and began his career at Arthur Young & Company. He later worked for Haskins & Sells, where he earned the title of Senior Vice President at a very young age.

In 1975, he joined the executive search firm Heidrick & Struggles as a consultant in its New York office. His ascent in the business world continued, and he was named a partner in 1977. In 2002, he was named Vice Chairman and a Member of the Office of the Chairman. He has served as a member of the the firm's executive committee and as managing partner of the New York office.

Mr. Jadick is known as one of the top recruiters in the world. His experience encompasses a wide variety of executive searches in finance, general management and directorships for leading organizations, including Dow Chemical, Price Waterhouse, Tiffany's, Viacom, Xerox, and MLB.

He has served as a trustee for the University and is a member of the President's Business Council. He and his wife, Rosemary, live in New York City, Guilford, Connecticut, and Longboat Key, Florida. They have one daughter.

George V. Lynett, MBA '71plus or minus

George V. Lynett graduated from the College of the Holy Cross in 1965 and earned an MBA from the University of Scranton in 1971. Seven years later, he earned a law degree from Georgetown University.

For 42 years, George and his brothers, Ed and Bill, served as publishers of the Scranton Times-Tribune and CEOs of Times-Shamrock Communications. During that time, the company grew from one daily newspaper and one AM radio station in the Scranton market to daily newspapers serving eight markets and AM and FM radio stations and newsweeklies in five markets.

Mr. Lynett is a former University trustee and has served as chairman on the boards of the Greater Scranton Chamber of Commerce, Scranton Preparatory School, Allied Services, Marywood University and the Scranton Area Foundation. He also served in the United States Navy.

In 2012, Mr. Lynett and other members of the Lynett-Haggerty famly were presented with the University's President's Medal. He and his wife, Patti, have four children and 11 grandchildren.

Susan Swain, '76plus or minus

Susan Swain earned a bachelor's degree in communications from the University in 1976 and was later awarded an honorary doctorate.

Ms. Swain is the co-Chief Executive Officer and President of C-SPAN. She joined the nonprofit public affairs television network in 1982 and worked in positions of increasing responsibility, from producer to Vice President of Corporate Communications, Senior Vice President, Executive Vice President and co-COO. As co-CEO, she shares responsibility for day-to-day operations, board relationships and long-term strategy. She is a two-time winner of the Vanguard Award, the cable industry's highest professional recognition.

Prior to her joining C-SPAN, Ms. Swain worked for Raytheon Service Company and the experiential educational company Up With People. She served for six years a University of Scranton trustee. A Philadelphia area native, she lives in the Washington, D.C. suburbs.

Katherine "Kay" Reilly, '53plus or minus

Katherine Reilly earned a marketing degree from the University's Dexter Hanley College in 1953. She and her sister, Evelyn, were the first two women to enroll in the University's business program. Evelyn Reilly graduated in 1952 with a degree in accounting.

Katherine Reilly went on to earn a master's degree in education from Marywood College. She taught in the Scranton School District until her retirement. Ms. Reilly and her sister helped establish the Alumnae Society at Scranton and served as officers for many years. The Reilly Learning Center Commons, a renovated space at the University's Weinberg Memorial Library, was named in honor of Ms. Reilly, her sister, and their brother, Joe, who have expressed a deep commitment to service to the University for more than 50 years.